Las Vegas is truly my favorite place on earth. (And going by what I've heard about Europe making everyone appreciate America so much more, I'm guessing it will still hold that title when I've finally seen London and Paris.) It has it's bad side, of course... the legalized prostitution, porn fliers littering the streets, white trash drunken idiots, gambling addicts, and the smell of smoke that permeates every casino... but somehow, none of that really phases me or changes my opinion.
Almost all of my memories from Vegas are great!!
My first trip was during high school, a Royal Neighbors event of Babah's. I remember getting sick on the flight there :( but as soon as the plane touched down, all was well! I remember Rach and I hiding for hours in the window seat of our room at MGM Grand, looking at the huge Tim McGraw and Faith Hill billboard at Mandalay Bay, waiting to scare Emily when she got there! I remember playing Keno at the MGM's Grand Buffet breakfast. I remember being asked to stay on the carpet at the casino because we weren't 21 yet. I remember swimming in an awesome waterfall pool with Emily. And I remember walking through several hotels with JoBug, and being mesmerized as I watched the Bellagio water show for the first time!
I came there again a few years later with my family and the Wallaces on a very memorable road trip! I remember playing slot machines and wondering what all the fuss was about. I remember buying my black and gold Louis Vuitton purse... Ty said it was "gangsta!" :) I remember dressing up for dinner one night and taking pictures outside the Paris Hotel. Ty wore a pink shirt and Mom told Rach and I to pull our slightly low-cut dresses up. I remember our room at Venetian being awesome. I remember having fun at M&M and Coca-Cola World, and loving the Harley Davidson Cafe! I remember moving to a suite at the New York, New York hotel and laughing about the huge whirlpool tub right in the middle of our room! And again, I remember the water show.
Then we came for one of Dad's State Farm trips... somehow, it's all running together, and I'm not sure where we stayed that time. Maybe Rach remembers?
*She did! She just text me that we stayed at the Paris hotel that year... so yes, we've stayed at both the Venetian and Paris. I was trying to figure that out over this last trip. She reminded me that we ate the awesome croissants from the "French" bakery places for breakfast!! =)
I know we had fun. I remember there was a room for the convention where we could come and get free snacks and sandwiches all through the day. :) We saw O that time (amazing), and Danny Gans (hilarious). We had a couple dinners at the Grand Lux Cafe. Mom and Rach and I walked around and shopped through the Caesar's Forum Shops, and again, we all stopped and watched the water show!!
Then last July, I went with Malori, Jeff, and Chet for the One Republic concert! I remember laughing at the opening flower at the end of La Reve. I remember my first trip to Serendipity, made unforgettable by Chet's Forbidden Broadway sundae challenge! I remember our breakfast at the Bellagio Pool Cafe being perfect. I remember laughing forever as Jeff talked about "glamour shots." :) I remember the One Republic outdoor beach concert at Mandalay Bay being amazing. And I remember it was my first time to actually stay in the Bellagio Hotel, and Malori and I watched the fountains as they rang in the 4th of July with Whitney Houston's Star Spangled Banner!
And my trip this year for Bill and Jill's wedding was also awesome! Malori and I got our tickets in a sale Southwest was having, and we all got a very discounted room rate at Stratosphere since their reception was there... so it was one of the cheapest Vegas trips I've been on. (If you don't count my new red purse, which I LOVE!) =) Malori and I had a fancy dinner at Olives before seeing O on Thursday. She got squid, octupus, and duck... yikes. O was great once again! Afterward, we had some gelato and got totally creeped out by two men dressed up as Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter... they came close to the window where we were eating... wow! Then we watched the water show and the song was Viva Las Vegas (see video above)... how perfect, and that was the first time I'd seen it to that song!
Friday, 11-11-11, it was the first time I got to witness a Vegas wedding. We took a party bus complete with stripper poles to see Bill and Jill get married at the Little Chapel of the West! :) Dad was the best man, and the entire wedding lasted less than ten minutes. Bill and Jill are such a genuine, fun couple, and I'm so happy for them! :)
A group of us went to Maggianos for lunch afterward... it was awesome, and very filling! We shopped around and Malori and I both got new purses at Coach. :) Mom and Rach shopped to get Rach a *temporary* dress for the reception that night, as hers had accidentally been left at home. Another thing I probably won't forget! lol
Then we went up to the "Top of the World" for their four-course reception dinner! It was far more fun than I ever expected! There was a great view of the strip, awesome wedding cake, my first glass of champagne, very memorable and entertaining dancing, and Bill even thanked me for calligraphying their invitations during his speech! Bill's Saturday Night Fever costume and the Green Bay Groom's cake were awesome and fun! And I'll never forget dancing with Andrew, who was definitely the life of the party at the reception!
The whole day was fun, and it was exciting to see them get married and celebrate with them! Then yesterday, we watched Andrew jump from the top of Stratosphere, then we had lunch and went to Jean Philippe Patisserie at Bellagio. After that, we watched the water show two more times - and God threw in this awesome rainbow... making it my favorite water show ever!!
So long live Las Vegas... I hope to be back again soon!! (This was the last two notes of Fly Me to the Moon, the last water show we saw this trip... watching it from Mom's car on the way to the airport! "I.... love... you!")
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